The Times They Are A-Changin’

By Phil LeMaster

The familiar title of the 1964 Bob Dylan song come to mind as I look back over more than 35 years in the located ministry.

Beyond the obvious cliché that the years have flown by, the most pervasive truth as I reminisce is the many transformations I have seen in the local church in the past generation. The times are indeed changing! Some of these changes are innocuous enough to be ignored, but many are weightier and significantly alter the job description of the 21st-century preacher. Consider some of the more evident ones with me

“¢ The increased busyness of people”s lives.

The Beaver Cleaver world of the 1950s is gone. A recent magazine article suggests that parents, on average, have less than five total hours of free time each week. Many of those hours are given, seemingly, to preparing our children for successful adulthoods. A study of fifth-graders revealed that the typical 10-year-old is involved in six extracurricular activities and that junior high students have nine “things to do” on their weekly list. The number of activities diminishes in high school, but the time requirements do not.

Add to this increased activity the fact that most families depend on two incomes for survival in our modern world. Statistics indicate that only 18 percent of American mothers worked outside the home in 1950. Today that number is approaching 75 percent.

The effects of this busyness upon the church are obvious. In 1970, it was relatively easy to plan a week of Vacation Bible School, revival services, or a missions seminar. Now these events have either been dropped from the church calendar or condensed in length. Even so, our expectation for the effectiveness of such programs is diminished by the activity-laden lives of even our most faithful members.

This busyness has also made it much more difficult for the minister to make personal calls or visits on parishioners and prospective members. Believe it or not, in 1970 much of my calling was “cold turkey” and almost always resulted in finding people home””and receptive. Today it is wise to have an appointment, and even then there is no guarantee of connecting.

Busyness also helps to explain the reluctance of today”s church members to sign on as Sunday school teachers, youth workers, or church leaders. The recruitment of volunteers has become increasingly difficult with each passing decade, even with the one-year term limits we offer for most positions.

“¢ The diminishing of brand loyalty.

The divisions between denominations and movements in Christendom have become less obvious and important, at least in the minds of most people in the new millennium. Thirty-five years ago, almost without exception, families moving to a new community would search diligently to find their “brand” of church. Perhaps it was loyalty to the family background more than to the church”s dogma, but there was a decided reluctance to attend, much less become members of, another denomination or church movement.

Today, people are much more willing to embrace another group”s teachings if the programs of that congregation are relevant to their family”s perceived needs. Doctrinal concerns seem to take a backseat to the kind of music used in worship, the strength of the youth programming, and the general friendliness of the people in the pews.

The upside of this phenomenon is a greatly increased harvest field for our movement”s churches. Denominationalists who once looked at us with jaundiced eyes are now much more open to coming through our doors and getting to know us before making judgments concerning our teachings.

The downside is that the understanding of doctrinal truths by the average member in our churches is diminishing. We once referred to ourselves as people of the Book, but today many of our movement”s members are ambivalent about what we believe and why.

“¢ Church worship has become more sophisticated, orchestrated, and music-oriented.

The song leader of 1970 has been replaced by the worship minister of today. There is no need to fight again the music wars of the past decades, but the emphasis upon the revitalization of the worship service is obviously still a hot-button issue in the 21st century church.

The introduction of contemporary songs, additional instrumentation, and praise teams have, for the most part, been both welcomed and appreciated by our congregants. For the most part! The question of contemporary versus traditional music will continue to be a contentious issue for a minority of our members””at both ends of the spectrum.

One blessing of this musical movement has been the increased emphasis upon the place and importance of worship within the church. Staid and superficial elements have been replaced by deeper and more purposeful expressions, and spiritual renewal has been the result for many.

But not without a price. I am afraid the natural gaps between the various age groups in our congregations have widened even more as the music question has been debated.

“¢ Church staffing has grown exponentially.

Thirty-five years ago, full-time youth ministers were a novelty. As a young preacher in a congregation of 125, part of my job description was to oversee and develop an effective youth program as well as deal with my pastoral duties. Sundays could be quite hectic: preach morning and evening plus lead the youth hour. Looking back, I sometimes wonder how I ever accomplished it all and, given the time restraints, what quality I achieved.

In today”s church, however, we are quickly becoming like the proverbial grocery chain that had vice presidents for prunes, one for pitted and another for unpitted! Children”s ministers, music ministers, small group ministers, outreach ministers, and administrative ministers have become the rule in larger congregations. Even rural congregations of less than 100 members feel the need to have at least a part-time youth minister.

As a result, our Bible colleges and seminaries have scurried to put together programs to train workers for these different niches. Churches are now able to call individuals to serve who have specialized training in these particular subfields. I can”t help but feel this is a positive transition for our movement. The quality of programming for these various ministries within the local congregation is getting better and better as these specialists become seasoned workers.

This phenomenon is a double-edged sword, however. In the church, we”re experiencing what specialization has done to the medical field. I consider myself to be in very good health, but in the past year I have been treated by seven different physicians: six specialists, and one general practitioner. I appreciate everything about these dedicated professionals but their fees!

Make no mistake about it, even in the church, specialization costs. Church staffing today requires a bigger piece of the giving pie than it did even a few years ago.

“¢ Church facilities have become multifaceted centers for the entire family.

In 1970, perhaps one church in 100 would have a gymnasium. Today, most congregations of 300 or more have a worship center, an educational unit, and often a family life center with gymnsium and running track included.

The price tag for such expanded church campuses is not cheap. With increased church staffing and elaborate building complexes, one can”t help but wonder where the dollars for evangelism, world missions, and other essential programs will come.

I could go on. But the most compelling truth to me about the changes I have seen in three and one-half decades of preaching the gospel is that mankind”s basic need has not changed! Our methods and programs may be different, but the world”s hunger for the good news is as great as it has ever been.

Yes, the times are a-changin”, but people are not. They still need Jesus.

 

 

Phil LeMaster is senior minister with First Church of Christ in Grayson, Kentucky. He graduated from Kentucky Christian College in Grayson in 1970, and eventually he earned his Ph.D. degree in educational psychology from the University of Kentucky in Lexington. Before beginning his present ministry in 1989, he served with Central Christian Church in Ironton, Ohio; Westmoreland Church of Christ in Huntington, WV, and First Christian Church of Mount Olivet, Kentucky. He also serves as adjunct faculty member at Kentucky Christian University in Grayson and Ohio University Southern in Ironton. He and his wife, Teresa, have two adult daughters.